POCATELLO — A local woman who admitted to embezzling from her employer for most of two decades was placed on 14 years probation, and ordered to serve six months in jail and to repay more than

$1.2 million that she stole.

    Peggy L. Pulley worked for Pocatello contractor Acoustic Specialties for many years, starting there in the mid-1990s. But that came to an end early last year when accounting discrepancies were noticed. After a lengthy investigation, Pulley was charged last summer with six counts of felony larceny, accused of embezzling a little more than $1.2 million from 1995 through 2012.

    In January, Pulley pleaded guilty to one count as part of a plea agreement through which prosecutors dismiss the other five counts. Pulley also agreed to repay the $1.2 million as part of the agreement.

    On Monday, her attorney, Greg May, told Sixth District Judge David Nye that his client had already started making payments on the restitution they anticipated the judge would order that morning. May told Nye that his client was remorseful for what she had done and that she knew she was facing up to 14 years in prison.

    He said she has cooperated with law enforcement and her former employer’s demands and would continue to do so. May recommended probation for his client with an underlying sentence of two years fixed and 12 years indeterminate and requested any local jail time she be given be allowed to be served on weekends.

    Bannock County Prosecutor Steve Herzog took exception with the portrayal that Pulley  made mistakes, that she admitted to having stolen from a previous employer and began doing the same at Acoustic Specialties shortly after her hiring.

    “Conservatively, if she wrote a check to herself once a month she made 228 mistakes,” Herzog said. “She was methodical.”

    Herzog recommended probation as part of the plea agreement and a sentence of four years fixed and 10 years indeterminate as an underlying sentence. He also asked for local jail time.

    It was also noted that Pulley had already made a contractual obligation to repay Acoustic Specialties $3,000 a month until the $1.2 million is paid back. That obligation would become a civil judgment with Nye’s signature.

    Nye gave his approval to the contract for restitution repayment, also noting that because it was not going through the courts, Acoustic Specialties or their attorney would have to let Pulley’s probation officer know if she failed to make those payments, which would be a violation of her probation.

    Pulley, when given a chance to address the court apologized repeatedly, saying she had “committed a horrible crime with horrible consequences.”

    Nye, in sentencing Pulley, said he had concerns that she, “had the chance to live a luxurious life at the expense of the victim.”

    “Over $1 million went into your pocket that should have gone into theirs,” he said.

    Nye sentenced Pulley to four years fixed and 10 years indeterminate, suspending the sentence before placing her on 14 years probation.

    “I don’t think I have an option because of the amount of restitution,” Nye said about giving Pulley the maximum length of time for probation.

    Nye also sentenced Pulley to six months of local jail time, allowing her to do weekends for the first month of the term and requiring that be completed during the first year of probation.

    He allowed her to use other jail options to complete the remaining five months of jail time.

    He then took one sentencing request of Herzog’s a large step further. Rather than require Pulley to perform 100 hours of community service, he told her she must complete 100 hours for each year she is on probation.